Electronic forms of communication such as email and instant messaging allows users to easily interact with a large number of contacts. A number of tools have been provided with communication applications which allow users to manage large numbers of contacts and potential contacts. As the use of email increases, the potential for communication to be addressed incorrectly likewise increases. Email address take the well known format “user@domain”, where “user” is a unique user identifier at a given “domain name” address. A domain name is the unique name of a computer on the Internet that distinguishes it from the other systems on the network. Every website, email account, etc, on the Internet is hosted on at least one computer (server) having a unique IP address. Because it is difficult to remember user addresses, many email programs allow users to simply type a portion of an address after which the application will suggest one or more addresses to the user based on the information the user has typed. Generally these suggestions come from a user address book maintained in conjunction with the communication application. In many cases, email and messenger applications can share the information in the address book.
Various mechanisms exist to allow a user to create and populate electronic address books. Address books contain not only the electronic addresses of users, but terrestrial addresses, nicknames of contacts, and other information allowing contacts in the address book to be organized by the users. Various import routines allow a user to import text files, and address books from other address book programs into the address book. Other mechanisms allow users to easily add addressees of email or instant messages to their address book. Many of these mechanisms are based on pulling addresses from the “to” field in a sent e-mail message (outbound message from the user), or scanning a user's address book or message folder, for addresses which populate distinct fields.
Those systems which suggest email addresses to users when the users are composing an email message benefit from accurately populated address books.